The National Urban League’s State of Black America report for
2011 found that inequality has increased over the last year. The
study’s equality index, which is calculated by examining various
social and economic indicators for Blacks in comparison with whites,
registered at 71.5 percent.
The study noted that the median household income for whites was
$54,671, compared to $33,463 for Blacks. There are also large
disparities in joblessness and home ownership. The official
unemployment rate for Black workers is 15 percent and the majority of
Blacks do not own their own homes, while 75 percent of whites do.
Despite rhetoric about a “post-racial America” following the
election of President Obama, these figures show that there have been
no measurable inroads made against inequality. Racism is systemic; it
is a tool to divide the working class that has been promoted since
the establishment of the United States. It can only be permanently
defeated with the overthrow of capitalism.
